1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image processing systems and methods and more specifically to image processing systems and methods capable of providing color correction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional color correction such as white balance correction for use in image capture devices is well known. White balance correction improves image quality by considering lighting type or sources for the environment in which a subject image is taken. The white balance of the image is adjusted along a color temperature (color range) for the light source such that a white image area in both the image and the subject are alike.
In a digital camera, the user can set white balance parameters to values different from preset values to obtain an accurate white balance for a specific image taken by the digital camera.
In the conventional technique, the white balance is evaluated and adjusted based on an image. This means that the white balance cannot be evaluated unless the image includes an area having a color close to white. Another problem with the conventional technique is that when the white balance adjustment is made such that an area that must be white is selected from the image and the white balance correction is made for the selected area, the result is often overcorrection for the image as a whole, and a natural color tone is lost.
If ratios among RGB components are varied arbitrarily, luminance can also be changed. White balance adjustment can be obtained for an image observed through the viewfinder before the image is captured. White balance adjustment can also be obtained for a rec-review image (a captured image displayed immediately after the image is taken). If, however, the image data has been stored (e.g., on a storage medium such as a memory card), the user is unable to provide white balance adjustment for the image data.